Missouri Obituary Records
Missouri obituary records help you trace family lines and learn about those who have passed. The state keeps death certificates going back to 1910 through its Bureau of Vital Records in Jefferson City. All 114 Missouri counties hold local records through their own offices as well. The Missouri State Archives has built a free database with more than 2.5 million death certificates you can search from home. Newspaper archives, public libraries, and genealogy groups across Missouri also keep obituary collections that span well over a century. This guide walks you through where to search for Missouri obituary records and how to get copies of what you find.
Missouri Obituary Quick Facts
Where to Find Missouri Obituary Records
The Missouri Bureau of Vital Records is the main state office for death certificates. It sits at 930 Wildwood Drive in Jefferson City and keeps a central registry of all deaths reported from January 1, 1910, to the present. The Bureau also holds marriage and divorce records from July 1948 forward. You can reach the office by phone at 573-751-6387 or by email at VitalRecordsInfo@health.mo.gov. Front window hours run from 9 AM to 3 PM by appointment, while office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM.
The Bureau of Vital Records at health.mo.gov/data/vitalrecords provides certified copies of Missouri death certificates to those with direct and tangible interest in the record.
Original death certificates hold key genealogy details. They list the date of birth, names of parents and spouse, cause of death, occupation, funeral home, and burial site. Under RSMo 193.145, all deaths in Missouri must be registered and a death certificate filed within five days. Immediate family members can get certified copies. That group includes brothers, sisters, parents, children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and even in-laws and cousins. Genealogists who work for a family member also qualify. Death records more than 50 years old are exempt from ID rules, which makes older Missouri obituary research much simpler.
You can request copies in person at any of the 115 local public health agencies across Missouri. Mail requests go to the Bureau with a completed form, notarized statement, self-addressed stamped envelope, and payment. Online and phone orders go through VitalChek, an authorized vendor. Local health offices often give same-day service with a wait of 10 to 15 minutes. Mail takes about two weeks.
Missouri Death Certificate Database
The Missouri State Archives holds the largest free collection of Missouri death records open to the public. Their database has more than 2.5 million death certificates, and it is the most used set of documents in the entire archives. You can search by first, middle, and last name. The system also lets you filter by county, year, and month. For deaths between 1954 and 1974, you can search by spouse, father, or mother name too. Each result links to a scanned image of the original certificate.
Records in the State Archives span from 1910 through roughly 1974. Under RSMo 193.225, death records over 50 years old transfer to the Archives. The database grows each year as new records hit that mark. Copies cost just $1 per certificate. You can request up to five at a time. Standard wait is 8 to 12 weeks. If you need it faster, the Friends of Missouri State Archives offers rush service for an extra $5 per name. Note that the Archives cannot issue certified copies. For those, you must go to the Bureau of Vital Records.
The Missouri Death Index is a separate free database that covers deaths from 1954 through 2024. It holds over 3.8 million records. All search fields are optional, and the system checks common nicknames on its own. You can use a wildcard character (*) for partial names. This index came about after Reclaim The Records filed a Sunshine Law request in 2016. A court ruling confirmed that the death index is a public record.
The Missouri Death Index at missourideathindex.com lets you look up deaths across the state at no cost with flexible name search options.
Pre-1910 Missouri Death Records
Missouri did not require statewide death registration until 1910. The first attempt at registration came in 1883, but it was not mandatory. By 1893, the state repealed those statutes because of poor compliance. That means pre-1910 records vary a lot from county to county. The Missouri Digital Heritage database has over 185,000 birth, stillbirth, and death records from 87 Missouri counties recorded before 1909. Over 250 reels of microfilm hold the 1883 to 1893 records at the State Archives.
The pre-1910 death records include the date of report, name, sex, color, age, occupation, marital status, nationality, birthplace, date, place, and cause of death. They also show the date and place of burial plus the addresses of the undertaker and physician. You can search by entering all or part of a name. The search engine uses keywords, so typing "William" will return William, Williams, and Williamson. You can also view all records for a county by picking the county and leaving the name field blank.
The Missouri Digital Heritage portal provides free access to pre-1910 death records along with other historical documents held by the State Archives.
Missouri Obituary Indexes
Newspaper obituary collections are one of the best ways to find details about a person's life in Missouri. The State Historical Society of Missouri runs the Missouri Digital Newspaper Project, which gives free access to digitized historic newspapers from across the state. These papers often hold obituary notices and death announcements that go far beyond what a death certificate shows. The society has a large collection of Missouri newspapers with wide coverage of obituaries and death notices at its Columbia research center.
Historic Missouri newspapers available through the State Historical Society contain obituary notices that provide family details not found on death certificates.
Many local libraries keep their own obituary indexes. The St. Louis Public Library maintains a searchable obituary index covering the St. Louis Post-Dispatch from 1880 to 1931, 1942 to 1945, 1960 to 1970, and 1992 to the present. The Springfield-Greene County Library has Dr. William K. Hall's Index covering births, deaths, marriages, and divorces in Springfield newspapers from 1900 to 2009. The St. Joseph Public Library keeps an obituary database of deaths listed in local newspapers from the 1950s to current, with more years being added. Kansas City Public Library holds death records from 1874 through 1909 in its Missouri Valley Room.
Coroner Inquest Records
The Missouri Coroner's Inquest Database holds abstracts of coroner records from counties across the state, plus City of St. Louis records and St. Louis Medical Examiner records. These records cover deaths from accidental, unusual, or suspicious causes. Each entry shows the case number, name, age or date of birth, race, gender, date of death, cause of death, and location of death.
Coroner records provide unique information about deaths in Missouri. They are useful for genealogy work, public health studies, social violence research, and urban history. This is an ongoing project. New counties are added as the work is done, and records become available once they reach 72 years of age. To get copies, email the citation to archref@sos.mo.gov. Staff will find the record, count pages, and send a cost notice by email.
Missouri Obituary Research at Libraries
The Missouri State Library has a genealogy guide with tips for beginners, research checklists, Missouri-specific strategies, and links to major record collections. The guide points researchers to Find a Grave for cemetery searches, the Military Gravesite Locator for national cemetery records, and the St. Louis County Library's obituary index.
The Missouri State Library genealogy guide at mostate.libguides.com links to key obituary databases and cemetery record tools across the state.
The State Historical Society of Missouri keeps manuscript collections, personal papers, county records, and local government documents on the University of Missouri-Columbia campus. Their newspaper collection has wide obituary coverage. They also hold photographs, maps, census records, and oral histories. Subject collections cover Government and Politics, County Records, Military History, African American History, Women's History, and more.
The society's research room in Columbia lets you view original Missouri newspapers, manuscript collections, and county records in person.
The University of Missouri Special Collections also holds digitized archives available worldwide. Their Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps collection has 6,798 maps for Missouri cities from 1880 to 1922. Plat books showing land holdings from 1930 cover all counties except Audrain, Johnson, Lincoln, and St. Louis City.
UM Special Collections at Ellis Library provides access to digitized rare and archival materials for Missouri genealogy and obituary research.
Public Access to Death Records
The Missouri Sunshine Law (RSMo Chapter 610) says that all public records of public government bodies are open to the public for inspection and copying, except where closed by law. The Reporters Committee guide to Missouri's Sunshine Law provides details on how public records requests work in the state. Under RSMo 610.011.2, any member of the public can request records. Access is not limited to Missouri residents or U.S. citizens. The reason for the request generally does not matter.
The Reporters Committee guide explains how Missouri's Sunshine Law applies to public records requests, including vital records and obituary data.
Vital records have their own rules. Under RSMo 193.245, it is unlawful to inspect or disclose information from vital records except as the law allows. However, a listing of persons who died on a certain date may be disclosed upon request. That disclosure is limited to name and date of death only. Death records over 50 years old may be disclosed to anyone. The state registrar may also allow disclosure for legitimate research purposes. Under RSMo 193.255, only those with direct and tangible interest can get certified copies. That group includes the person named, immediate family, guardians, and official representatives like attorneys, physicians, and funeral directors.
Fees for Missouri Death Certificates
Certified death certificate copies from the Bureau of Vital Records cost $14 for the first copy and $11 for each extra copy of the same person at the same time. Under RSMo 193.265, fee exemptions exist for victims of domestic violence with proper documentation. The $14 search fee covers a five-year search period. The official form is at health.mo.gov/data/vitalrecords/pdf/birthdeath.pdf.
The Missouri Monthly Vital Statistics page tracks birth and death data across the state and gives a broader view of trends over time.
Monthly vital statistics reports from the Missouri Department of Health show statewide birth and death trends and public health data.
Copies from the State Archives cost $1 per certificate. Local health departments may charge the same state fees for in-person requests. Some local offices accept cash, check, or credit cards. VitalChek orders carry an extra service charge on top of the state fee. Always call ahead to confirm current costs, as fees can change from time to time.
Veterans and Historical Obituary Resources
The Missouri Veterans' Commission provides resources for families of veterans who have passed. Military service records and burial information can help fill gaps in obituary research. The Military Gravesite Locator covers national cemetery burials, state veterans cemeteries, and VA national cemeteries across Missouri.
The Missouri Veterans' Commission site at mvc.dps.mo.gov helps families find military service records and cemetery information for Missouri veterans.
The Missouri Census Data Center at the University of Missouri provides population data and demographic statistics that can support obituary research by placing records in their historical context.
Census data from MCDC helps researchers understand the communities where their ancestors lived and died in Missouri.
Browse Missouri Obituary Records by County
Each Missouri county keeps its own death records and obituary resources through local offices. County recorders, historical societies, public libraries, and health departments all hold records that can help with obituary research. Pick a county below to find local contact details and resources.
Obituary Records in Major Missouri Cities
Residents of major Missouri cities file vital records through their county offices. Many cities also have public libraries and historical societies with obituary collections specific to their area. Select a city below to learn about local obituary resources.